How to Sanitise Dish cloths & Sponges?

Dishcloths or rags are handy for almost all kitchen cleaning tasks but, it’s most unfortunate that exposure to spills, residue and food crumbs; they give a foul smell becoming a home ground for germs.

The same goes for dishwashing sponge as no one can imagine doing the dishes with a germ-filled sponge. A lab test revealed that three common pathogens dwell on dishwashing sponges namely; E.Coli, Salmonella and Pseudomonas. So, how to clean dishcloths and sponges! Find out below. 

For cleaning the dish rags

• Fill a pot or pan with water and bring it to a boil
• Dunk all the dirty rags and boil some more for around 15 minutes. This’ll surely kill mould, mildew, germs and bacteria clinging to the cloths
• Once boiled, wash and dry as usual leaving behind fresh smelled and sanitised cloths

Another way to disinfect the dishrags is through bleach or vinegar. Here’s how to do it;

• Throw all the soiled dishrags in the washing machine and add half or one-cup white vinegar depending on the laundry size
• Also add laundry detergent to the load and fill the tank with hot water to wash
• For bleach, add one-fourth or half a cup of bleach per size of the load
• With bleach, you’re free to use either hot or cold water

Warning: Don’t ever use both vinegar and bleach as combination of the two would trigger a chemical reaction, releasing toxic fumes and ruining the laundry in the end. Finish the wash cycle as normal!

Additional tips & instructions

• In case dishcloths are too greasy, wash with vinegar as it can easily cut through even the toughest grease
• To prevent the rags from developing foul smell, rinse with hot water after every use and dry well
• Don’t roll or ball the dishcloths in the water for it damages the fibre
• The best way is using a fresh dishrag each day while disposing those already used previously. Keep a handful supply!
• If the rags are thinner, they’ll dry faster and prevent mould development
• Fabric softener mustn’t be used on dishrags as it deposit a thin film on the cloth and make them less absorbent

For cleaning the sponges

In a lab test, different methods to sanitise dish sponge were performed of which bleach solution killed nearly 99.9-percent bacteria. Here’s how to do it;

• Mix three-fourth cup of bleach in a gallon of water and dunk the sponge for five minutes to zap most of the germs instantly
• Microwave and dishwashing treatment are the second most-effective methods that also killed almost 99.9-percent bacteria especially Coli
• Place the sponge in regular dishwasher load and give it the dry-heat treatment. In microwave, mildly saturate the sponge and spin it on high heat for at least a minute or two
• Dunk the sponge in full-strength industrial vinegar that would eliminate 99.6 bacteria

Conclusion

And here’s how to clean dishcloths and sponges without taking all the hassle.